TED Books library

TED Books are small books about big ideas. In September 2014, the imprint relaunched, offering titles in hardcover for the first time. Below: highlights from recent and earlier titles (the latter in e-book only).

Newest releases

How We'll Live on Mars

by Stephen Petranek

It sounds like science fiction, but award-winning journalist Stephen Petranek considers it fact: Within 20 years, humans will live in Mars. We’ll need to. In this sweeping, provocative book that mixes business, science and human reporting, Petranek makes the case that living on Mars is an essential back-up plan for humanity, and explains in fascinating detail just how it will happen. Learn more

Judge This

by Chip Kidd
First impressions are everything. They dictate whether something stands out, how we engage with it, whether we buy it, and how strongly we feel. This is especially true when it comes to design. And design is all around us, secretly shaping our world in ways we rarely recognize. Except if you yourself are a designer, like Chip Kidd. Learn more

Beyond Measure: The Big Impact of Small Changes

by Margaret Heffernan
A powerful manifesto for for CEOs and managers alike, Beyond Measure reveals how organizations can make huge changes with surprisingly small steps. In this book, Heffernan looks back over decades spent overseeing different organizations and comes to a counterintuitive conclusion: it's the small shifts that have the greatest impact. Learn more

Follow Your Gut: The Enormous Impact of Tiny Microbes

by Rob Knight, with Brendan Buhler
Allergies, obesity, acne: these are just a few of the conditions that may be caused—and someday cured—by the microscopic life inside us. How does this groundbreaking science influence your health, mood and more? Pioneering scientist Rob Knight pairs with award-winning science journalist Brendan Buhler to explain why these new findings matter to everyone. Learn more

The Future of Architecture in 100 Buildings

by Marc Kushner
Through his unique position at the crossroads of architecture and social media, architect and Architizer.com founder Marc Kushner highlights 100 buildings, and the questions they seem to ask of us: How can we live smaller? Can a building breathe? With stunning photography and stories of architectural wonder from across the globe, this new TED Book illustrates the rapidly evolving world of architecture in the digital age. Learn more

The Mathematics of Love: Patterns, Proofs and the Search for the Ultimate Equation

by Hannah Fry
In this must-have for anyone who wants to better understand their love life, mathematician Hannah Fry pulls back the curtain and reveals the hidden patterns—from dating sites to divorce, sex to marriage—behind the rituals of love. Learn more

The Art of Stillness: Adventures in Going Nowhere

by Pico Iyer
An unexpected truth from a celebrated travel writer: Stillness just might be the ultimate adventure. Pico Iyer reveals how stillness can act as a creative catalyst, and advocates for a way of living that counters the frenetic design of our modern lives. Learn more

The Terrorist's Son: A Story of Choice

by Zak Ebrahim with Jeff Giles
The astonishing first-person account of an American boy raised on dogma and hate — a boy presumed to follow in his father’s footsteps — and the man who chose a different path. The idea that reverberates through the prose: Everyone has a choice. Even if you're raised to hate, you can choose tolerance. You can choose empathy. Learn more